Electoral fraud will from Friday March 4, 2016 become a costly enterprise in Ghana with heavy fines and jail terms for persons found guilty.

Under  a new Public Elections Registration of Voters Regulation, a person found guilty of any form of electoral fraud risks going to jail for two years or will be fined for ¢35,000 or both.

The Instrument which is currently before Parliament will come into effect on Friday. 

Ghana's electoral system is no stranger to allegations of electoral fraud. Currently, there are claims the Voter's register has a number of non-Ghanaians on it.

There are also reports of minors and people impersonating others either to register or to vote.

With the Constitutional Instrument 91, all these and more will be considered an act of fraud and will come with dire consequences.

The Vice chairman of the subsidiary legislation, Kofi Osei Ameyaw told Joy News' parliamentary correspondent, Elton Brobbey the jail term and fine are punitive enough to stop people from perpetrating such electoral fraud.

He said when people are aware of the punitive measures in place only few will be ready to take the risk of committing the crime.

Kofi Osei   Ameyaw says traffickers or people who bring in foreigners to vote are also liable for similar punishment.

"The punishment is also for Ghanaians who are not qualified but still want to register," he added.

He said there will be a massive public education to let people know the risk involved in committing that fraud.

"That fraud must stop because if we are to get Ghanaians electing our leaders there must not be any external forces coming in to dictate to us," he said.

With just eight months to go for the 2016 November polls, the new regulation will be crucial in determining a true winner of Ghana's presidential and parliamentary elections.

It will however guide the limited voters registration exercise set for April.